http://nwanews.com/bcdr/News/65649/Quote »Family fleeing Ike involved in three-vehicle accident BELLA VISTA - Friday was not a good day for the Hyatt family of Texas.The Hyatts fled their home in Vidor as Hurricane Ike barreled toward the Texas Gulf Coast.But at 9 a.m. - less than an hour before they reached a safe haven with a family in Neosho, Mo. - they were involved in an accident on U. S. Highway 71 at Dartmoor Road.According to witness Matt Jackson of Bella Vista, a gray pickup truck was in a southbound lane on U. S. 71 when it started to turn left onto Dartmoor and struck the Hyatts' northbound Pontiac Vibe. The two vehicles slid into a third vehicle that was stopped at the light at the Dartmoor intersection.Everything happened in slow motion, said Arn Hesse, the driver of the third car. He could only watch helplessly as the car and pickup drifted into his.Richard Hyatt said his brother, Curtis Hyatt, and mother, Jeanette Hyatt, along with his brother's pregnant girlfriend, were in the Pontiac Vibe. Richard Hyatt was driving a vehicle behind them when the accident happened, he said.Also on the trip were the Hyatts' two dogs.The driver of the truck, Albert Chiarmonti, and the three people in the Pontiac were taken to Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville. All four were in stable condition when they reached the hospital, Bella Vista firefighter-paramedic Scott Larson said.Chiarmonti, 78, was cited for failure to yield, according to police reports. Curtis Hyatt, 37, was cited for driving with a suspended driver's license.The Dartmoor intersection was the site of another threevehicle accident at 3: 10 p.m. Thursday. No one in that accident was taken to the hospital, police reports state.
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